“I mean, I guess there’s nothing stopping us.” He took the vodka out of the fridge along with two shot glasses from the cabinet, handing me one after he poured it. “Cheers,” he said, clinking his shot glass against mine as we downed the alcohol. He wrinkled his nose at the taste. “Dear lord, what kind of vodka is this? That’s disgusting.”
I laughed at the scowl on his face. “Wow, can’t handle your booze?” I teased.
“You’re one to talk after what happened last weekend,” he retorted. The flash of memories from last weekend flooded my mind, and I quickly pushed them away. “I just don’t like the cheap shit. How much did this cost, anyway?”
“I tried to give you the twenty, but you wouldn’t accept. That would’ve covered it.” I shrugged my shoulders emphatically.
“Well, there’s the problem. A whole bottle of vodka for less than twenty dollars? You need to try the good stuff. I’ll get you some later; I think we have some around here somewhere.”
“Wow, are you trying to get me drunk tonight?” I gasped theatrically, putting my hand over my heart.
“Oh, I would never,” he drawled, matching my dramatics while throwing some sort of food into the crockpot.
We bantered back and forth for a while longer, and I still hadn’t gotten used to his wonderfully rough, deep voice. Every word he said sounded like a slight growl, and it made my heart flutter.
We were both laughing as we finished putting away the last of the groceries when the sound of the front door closing resounded through the house, and Damien shouted, “You better not be having fun without me!” I was still in a fit of giggles at something Alex had said when Damien sauntered into the kitchen. He raised an eyebrow, glancing between us, and smiled. “Hope I can still join in on the fun.”
“Be glad you missed us taking a shot of her shitty vodka,” Alex chimed in. “This girl has no clue what good alcohol is.”
“Dude, you bought PBR,” I retorted, sticking my tongue out at him. “That revokes your right to lecture me on what’s ‘good’ or not. Plus, I like my cheap vodka, and that’s what matters.” He simply shook his head in response.
“She’s got a point,” Damien said as he walked over and pulled me into a side-hug. “And now that I’m here, let the real fun begin.”